The Call
by Jetainia
Summary: The stars were aligned and it was time to call the four home.


**Forum Block**  
Team: Wigtown Wanderers  
Position: Captain  
Prompt: Wizarding Royalty  
Word count: 1,340  
Note: Thanks to Trish for letting me use the idea of a snake acting as a hearing aid.

* * *

The large stone building sat on an expanse of clear ground surrounded by both water and forest. There was a light humming in the air that directed all it did not welcome away. Centaurs looked up at the stars through the trees and saw time go by. The castle waited as magical beings came and went, all of them welcome. When the stars were aligned just so, the castle gave a sigh, shifted slightly, and then started calling out to the four people it had been created to hold.

* * *

The forest was loud and the woman smiled as she made her way from tree to tree. She belonged here as much as the creatures did, and her movements were not harbingers of doom for prey or predator. A sliver of slightly different brown caught her eye, and she bent down to retrieve one of the mushrooms she had come out here hunting for.

She dropped it almost immediately as a wave of warmth crossed over her, leaving behind an inescapable urge to _go_. There was a vision of a castle in her mind with half-horse, half-man beings gazing upwards on the green grass in front of the stone building. A squirrel gazed up at her before making off with the mushroom she had dropped.

Helga gazed to where she knew the castle lay; she needed to go there. However, it would be rather silly to set out on an adventure without gathering supplies. She went to pick up the dropped mushroom before realising it was gone and started the hunt for them again. She would need more than she had when she was just gathering dinner anyway; there was no telling how far she would need to travel.

* * *

Godric slammed his axe into the side of the tree, and it quivered there as a foreign presence in his mind sent him to his knees. He saw centaurs in front of a castle, and they beckoned him forward even as they pointed to the stars above them. Godric stared at the scene in confusion as his head pounded and a command was placed there.

_Come._

The axe was still shivering slightly as its owner ran off into the distance towards a castle he had never visited before and didn't know how far away it was. It was the sort of move he was known for in his community—rash and unthinking when something of import came up.

* * *

Blonde hair slowly transformed to brown a shade darker than the owner's skin. She smiled at the reflection in the pond and picked up the daisy chain that lay next to her before placing it atop the now-brown locks. Much better, she thought. The yellow and white of the daisies were more noticeable when paired with brown hair.

Rowena often changed her hair colour to suit her mood or current desire—such a thing was as easy as wishing it to happen for her. She could change any aspect of herself but mostly kept to the hair and had promised her very proud mother before she passed away that she would never change her skin. The dark colour was a source of pride for their family, and Rowena was more than happy to keep it as it was.

She flicked the crown to the side so that it lay slightly askew and then gasped as the reflection in the river changed. No longer was she sitting on a river bank with a flower crown but sitting on a wooden throne with a metal circlet resting on her head. This was her future, she knew, and it had just been set into motion. She straightened the crown and set off back to her home; she would need to prepare before setting off.

* * *

Aurora hissed in annoyance as Salazar's hand stopped moving. Automatically, his hand resumed the stroking motion even as Salazar himself stared off into the distance at nothing in particular. There was a noise ringing in his mind clearer than even Aurora's hissing that was generally the only thing he could hear clearly. It was calling to him.

There was a castle—silent and sure but still humming with voices. The tone of the voices and the atmosphere of the castle seemed joyful and calm. Light shimmered on the water of a large lake; centaurs galloped across the grass.

Salazar let out a gust of air, causing Aurora to look up at him. Salazar would forever be grateful to the basilisk; he could hear her clearly while the rest of the world remained muffled and silent, and she was his constant companion ever since she had warned him not to step on her tail. She helped interpret the world in a way he hadn't been able to before.

"It appears we have been called, Aurora," he said as the vision faded away.

Aurora hissed in annoyance and curled around him. "They can wait; the sun is pleasant."

"Indeed it is." Salazar grinned and propped himself up on his elbows as he lay back and stared up at the sky, soaking in the warmth of the sun in much the same way as Aurora was.

* * *

The first to arrive was a woman clad in dusty blue with a flower crown on her black hair and flower designs weaving their way along her brown skin. The flowers changed from daisies to lilies of the valley as she approached the herd of centaurs waiting for her. The leader—Finlay—stepped forward and bowed, leading the rest in the action.

Rowena returned the gesture and smiled as the centaurs stepped aside and directed her to the castle behind them. The castle doors opened as she approached and the same warmth enveloped her as she entered.

_Welcome home._

* * *

The second arrival was an exhausted man with scrapes and cuts all over his dark skin. He collapsed to the ground when he arrived, and the centaurs circled around him, prepared for this and having fruit on hand. He grinned up at them from where he lay sprawled on the grass.

"Word of advice," he rasped, "don't set out on a journey unprepared."

Finlay gave a small smile. "We are not a rash race, but we thank you for the advice."

Godric waved a hand as if to say that it was no problem before accepting the grapes Aila offered.

* * *

The third and fourth came together. One with offerings of edible fungi and useful herbs, and one with a basilisk coiled around them. The centaurs greeted them in much the same way as they had the others. Helga smiled and Salazar gazed around the place that had called him, trying to take it all in.

"Welcome," Finlay said. "All four of you are here now, the stars have told truth."

Aurora hissed the words to Salazar and he rubbed a hand over her head in thanks. "What happens now?" he asked.

"Your coronation and then your duty. You have been called here to bring magic to light, to protect those who hold the spark and teach those who do not know how to use it."

* * *

The throne room was bathed in golden light as the setting sun shone through the high windows. Four thrones of wood sat on the raised platform at the back of the room. There was a hum in the air as magical beings talked excitedly and the warmth of Hogwarts enveloped them. Four people stood in front of the thrones as purple light coalesced around them.

When the light vanished there was a circlet on each of the four's heads and their clothes had become resplendent in variations of red, blue, green, and yellow. As one, the rest in the room bent to one knee to show their allegiance. Rowena, Godric, Helga, and Salazar looked at each other and smiled before returning the gesture.

Their allegiance was to the people that they had been charged with protecting and aiding. Hogwarts shifted again and smiled in a way only a building could. The stars were moving again, and they told of wondrous times.


End file.
